CONTACT:
Lou Harry, SPJ Manager of Publications and Awards, lharry@spj.org
Kimberly Tsuyuki, SPJ Communications Coordinator, ktsuyuki@hq.spj.org

INDIANAPOLIS — The Society of Professional Journalists recognizes the best collegiate journalism in Region 4 with 2022 Mark of Excellence Awards winners.

SPJ’s Region 4 comprises Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. First-place winners will compete at the national level among other MOE winners from the 12 SPJ regions.

National winners will be notified in the late spring and will be recognized at the SPJ’s 2023 convention in Las Vegas, Sept. 28-30.

MOE Awards entries are judged by professionals with at least three years of journalism experience. Judges were directed to choose entries they felt were among the best in student journalism. If no entry rose to the level of excellence, no award was given. Any category not listed has no winner.

School divisions are based on student enrollment, including both graduate and undergraduate: Large schools have at least 10,000 students and small schools have 9,999 or fewer students.

The list below details all Region 4 winners. If you have any questions regarding the MOE Awards, contact SPJ Manager of Publications and Awards Lou Harry by email.

This list reflects the spelling and titles submitted in the award entries.

Print/Online

Breaking News Reporting
Winner: Fatal hit-and-run accident near UC campus — by Emma Balcom, Zachary Jarrell, Allison Kiehl, Zurie Pope, The News Record, University of Cincinnati
Finalist: Multi-alarm fire strikes historic mill complex in Kent — by Staff, The Kent Stater/KentWired, Kent State University
Finalist: Biology professor helps save mother, child from Cuyahoga River — by Zaria Johnson, The Kent Stater/KentWired, Kent State University

General News Reporting (Large)
Winner: Dress Coded: Undressing the reality behind dress code restrictions through the minority lens — by Arianna Smith, The Lantern, The Ohio State University
Finalist: Bibi the hippo is due any day now — by Morgan Schneider, Cincinnati Magazine, Miami University
Finalist: Ohio 'Constitutional Carry' bill worries domestic-violence survivor advocates — by Halena Sepulveda, Kent State NewsLab, Kent State University

General News Reporting (Small)
Winner: Post-Gazette workers strike near campus — by Jake Dabkowski, The Globe, Point Park University
Finalist: Calvin to invest in goals of Strategic Plan for Athletics, including possible football team — by Lauren Nyong, Chimes, Calvin University

In-Depth Reporting
Winner: ‘Restricted’: How disordered eating is disguised and normalized on college campuses — by Tess Wells, The Lantern, The Ohio State University
Finalist: Importance of options and access: How students, professionals feel about women’s healthcare resources — by Claire Schiopota, The Post, Ohio University

Feature Writing
Winner: Don't believe the crazy girl — by Grace Avery, A Magazine, Kent State University
Finalist: Sparty is graduating — by Maddy Warren, The State News, Michigan State University
Finalist: A life almost taken, mine forever changed — by GraciAnn Hicks, The Miami Student Magazine, Miami University

Sports Writing
Winner: J.J. McCarthy, for better or for worse — by Josh Taubman, The Michigan Daily, The University of Michigan
Finalist: Football: Ohio falls to Toledo 17-7 in MAC championship game — by Molly Burchard, The Post, Ohio University
Finalist: Leveling the playing field: female coaches prep women’s sports teams for season and for life — by Grace Toma, Chimes, Calvin University

Editorial/Opinion Writing
Winner: Columns — by Sam Norton, The Miami Student, Miami University
Finalist: Editorials — by Editorial staff, The State News, Michigan State University
Finalist: Love, Ames / Starting our lives / I hope you're hungry... for nothing — by Ames Radwan, The Miami Student, Miami University

General Column Writing
Winner: Columns — by Zach Donaldson, The New Political, Ohio University
Finalist: Unsolicited Advice — by Katie Millard, The Post, Ohio University

Sports Column Writing
Winner: SportsMonday — by Jared Greenspan, Nicolas Stoll, Joshua Taubman, The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
Finalist: Life's a Beach — by Ashley Beach, The Post, Ohio University

Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Large)
Winner: Flyer News — by Staff, Flyer News, University of Dayton
Finalist: The State News — by Staff, The State News, Michigan State University

Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper (Small)
Winner: The Globe — by Staff, The Globe, Point Park University

Best Student Magazine
Winner: Fusion Magazine by Staff, Fusion Magazine, Kent State University
Finalist: Thread by Staff, Thread, Ohio University
Finalist: UP Magazine by Staff, COSMOS, Miami University

Best Affiliated Web Site
Finalist: Miamistudent.net — by Staff, The Miami Student, Miami University

Art/Graphics/Multimedia

Breaking News Photography
Winner: Mill fire — by Anthony Scilla, The Kent Stater/KentWired, Kent State University

General News Photography
Winner: ‘I just need a maize and blue army that’s got my back’: Whitmer, Buttigieg get out the vote on the Diag — by Anna Fuder, The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
Finalist: Renaissance ball — by Matthew Brown, The Kent Stater/KentWired, Kent State University

Photo Essay/Slideshow
Winner: Capitol Reactions: Roe v. Wade is overturned — by Carrie Legg, The Post, Ohio University
Finalist: #RacismatOU: A march on Cutler — by Izzy Keller, Audrianna Wilde, The New Political, Ohio University
Finalist: Growing up — by Allison Friedly, A Magazine, Kent State University

Illustration
Winner: Erasing Russia — by Trevor Brighton, The Post, Ohio University
Finalist: Black Hair — by Destiny Franklin, The Burr Magazine/Uhuru Magazine, Kent State University
Finalist: Chadwick Boseman — by Amy Dudek, A Magazine, Kent State University

Photo Illustration
Winner: Party foul — by Trevor Brighton, The Post, Ohio University

Sports Photography
Winner: Ohio guard AJ Brown shoots for three — by Jesse Jarrold-Grapes, The Post, Ohio University
Finalist: The battle of Ohio — by Jessica Monahan, The Miami Student, Miami University

Best Use of Multimedia
Winner: The developmental dilemma — by Jane McKinley, Medium, Miami University
Finalist: Photographers' favorites — by Eric Lau, William Gushee, The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
Finalist: Varsity swimmers react to club win after MSU Swim and Dive is cut — by Audrey Richardson, The State News, Michigan State University

News Videography
Winner: Sprucing up your home — by Amaya Kuznicki, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University
Finalist: Brewing up concerns — by Alexandra Hill, Amaya Kuznicki, Katlyn Holtvluwer, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University
Finalist: Frustrated students left out in the cold — by McKoy Scribner, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University

Feature Videography
Winner: Retracing Dahmer: Understanding Jeffrey Dahmer's life at Ohio State — by Molly Goheen, Brett Price, Phoebe Helms, The Lantern, The Ohio State University
Finalist: It's the best day of the year — by Isabella Martin, Focal Point News, Michigan State University

Sports Videography
Winner: A new home for these cleats — by Chloe Porfirio, Focal Point News, Michigan State University
Finalist: Balancing it all — by Elena Cousino, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University
Finalist: Table tennis team's big tournament — by Daniel Zivian, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University

Data Visualization
Winner: Data: June AEP outage affected lower-income areas at higher rate — by Isabel Nissley, Matter News, Ohio University

Audio

Radio News Reporting
Winner: Localization in Huntington — by David Adkins, WMUL, Marshall University

Radio Sports Reporting
Winner: State of the Herd — by Justin I. Zimmer, WMUL, Marshall University

Broadcast

Television Breaking News Reporting
Winner: Local protesters stand up to abortion restrictions — by Lara Bonatesta, West Virginia Today, West Virginia University
Finalist: Shovel, come home, shovel again — by Chloe Porfirio, Focal Point News, Michigan State University
Finalist: WVU tennis star hits the court to prepare for Martha Thorn Invitational — by Ben Machi, Mountaineer Playbook, West Virginia University

Television General News Reporting
Winner: Sprucing up your home — by Amaya Kuznicki, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University
Finalist: Student report mold in residence halls — by Jacob Brooks, TV2 News, Kent State University
Finalist: COVID-19 vaccines become available to children — by Jessica Riley, WVU News, West Virginia University

Television Feature Reporting
Winner: It's like he's working in the Dark Ages' — by Isabella Martin, Focal Point News, Michigan State University
Finalist: The U.S. gears up for spring break travel as new COVID-19 strains emerge — by Jessica Riley, WVU News, West Virginia University
Finalist: WVU's Mountaineer Week celebrates Appalachian culture through axe throwing — by Michael Gourley, Mountaineer Playbook, West Virginia University

Television In-Depth Reporting
Winner: What are the odds? — by Brendan Schabath, Bella Gorisek, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University
Finalist: The power of Gen Z — by Elena Cousino, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University
Finalist: West Virginians seek addiction help through peer recovery — by Lara Bonatesta, West Virginia Today, West Virginia University

Television Sports Reporting
Winner: WVU Reed College of Media student becomes Mountaineer mascot — by Ben Machi, Mountaineer Playbook, West Virginia University
Finalist: Lifelong WVU fan achieves dream of playing for the Gold and Blue — by Zippy Zimmerman, Mountaineer Playbook, West Virginia University
Finalist: Table tennis team's big tournament — by Daniel Zivian, Focal Point TV News, Michigan State University

Best All-Around Television Newscast
Winner: WVU News — by Staff, WVU News, West Virginia University

Best All-Around Television News Magazine
Winner: West Virginia Today — by Staff, West Virginia Today, West Virginia University
Finalist: Focal Point News — by Staff, Focal Point News, Michigan State University

All Platform

Arts/Entertainment/Fashion Journalism
Winner: Watch 'Aftersun.' Then, call your dad — by Lola D'Onofrio, The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan

Food/Restaurant Journalism
Winner: The Weekly Veg — by Ames Radwan, The Miami Student, Miami University
Finalist: Argus Farm Stop, Ann Arbor is lucky to have you — by Jaden Katz, The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan
Finalist: Jungle Jim's / A Non-Coffee Drinker's Guide to Oxford / Caramel Apple Recipe — by Maggie Peña, The Miami Student, Miami University

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